Monday, February 11, 2013

Iraq snapshot

Monday, February 11, 2013. Chaos and violence continue, another suicide
car bomber, over the weekend Camp Liberty is attacked, former US House
Rep Patrick Kennedy calls for UNAMI head Martin Kobler to step down, Nouri blocks access into Baghdad, and more.

The illustrious and sturdy bow on the entire political package is
immunity — a reassuring comfort to retired and present war leaders
alike. Former Bush officials and current Obama officials have scant
reason to worry that their conduct of war might one day put them in a
courtroom dock. They’ve turned their noses up at international law,
lowered curtains on transparency and put some precious civil liberties
in a garbage compactor with the president’s hand on the switch.Normalizing silence and complicity is essential fuel for endless war.
With top officials relying on their own exculpatory status, a grim
feedback loop keeps spinning as the increasingly powerful warfare state
runs roughshod over the principle of consent of the governed. Top
officials dodge responsibility — and pay no penalty — for lying the
country into, and into continuing, horrendous wars and other
interventions.Without an honest reckoning of what did and didn’t happen in the
lead-up to the Iraq war, a pernicious message comes across from
Wilkerson, Powell and many others: of course we stuck it out and
followed orders, we had private doubts but fulfilled our
responsibilities to maintain public support for the war.It’s a kind of role modeling that further corrodes the political
zeitgeist. The upshot is that people at the top of the U.S. government —
whether in 2003 or 2013 — have nothing to lose by going along with the
program for war. In a word: impunity.

On Iraq, Ramzy Baroud (OnIslam.net) observes:When the last US combat brigade had reportedly left Iraq in Dec.
2011, this was meant to be an end of an era. Historians know well that
conflicts do not end with a presidential decree or troop deployments.
Iraq merely entered a new phase of conflict and the US, Britain, and
others, remain integral parties of that conflict. One
post-invasion and war reality is that Iraq was divided into areas of
influence based on purely sectarian and ethnic lines. In western media’s
classification of winners and losers, Sunnis, blamed for being favored
by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, emerged as the biggest loser.
While Iraq’s new political elites were divided between Shiite and
Kurdish politicians (each party with its own private army, some gathered
in Baghdad and others in the autonomous Kurdistan region), the Shiite
population was held by various militant groups responsible for Sunni
unfortunates. On Feb. 8, 2013, five car bombs blew up in what was
quickly recognized as “Shiite areas,” killing 34 people. A few days
earlier, on Feb. 4, 22 people were also killed in a similar fashion.The
sectarian strife in Iraq, which is responsible for the death of tens of
thousands, is making a comeback. Iraqi Sunnis, including major tribes
and political parties are demanding equality and the end of their
disfranchisement in the relatively new, skewed Iraqi political system
under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Massive protests and ongoing
strikes have been organized with a unified and clear political message.However,
numerous other parties are exploiting the polarization in every way
imaginable: to settle old scores, to push the country back to the brink
of civil war, to amplify the mayhem underway in various Arab countries,
most notably Syria, and in some instances to adjust sectarian boundaries
in ways that could create good business opportunities.

All this blood, and for what? In 2005, Ayad Allawi – a former CIA
agent originally installed as Iraqi Prime Minister – argued that “people
are doing the same as [in] Saddam’s time and worse”. Human Rights Watch
warns that “the Iraq people today have a government that is slipping
further into authoritarianism”, listing “draconian measures against
opposition politicians, detainees, demonstrators, and journalists,
effectively squeezing the space for independent civil society and
political freedoms in Iraq”. Iraq is now 150th out of 179 countries in
the World Press Freedom Index, worse than Russia or Zimbabwe; and the US
government-funded Freedom House rates Iraq 6 for civil liberties and 6
for political rights, with 7 being the worst. No wonder Tony Dodge, an
Iraq expert at the LSE, warns that “Maliki is heading towards an
incredibly destructive dictatorship”.Easy for me to berate, you
might think: I didn’t live through the horror of Saddam. Listen to the
Iraqi people, then. A detailed poll by Zogby at the end of 2011 revealed
that just 30 per cent of Iraqis felt the invasion left them better off;
23 per cent felt things were just the same, and 42 per cent said they
were worse. Among the Shia, 70 per cent felt things were worse or just
as bad as under Saddam; it was 79 per cent among Sunnis. Winning hearts
and minds indeed.

And in the failed state today? UPI reports
that Nouri al-Maliki's government refused to let a Turkish plane land
-- the plane was supposed "to land in Kirkuk and pick up some of the 75
Kurdish victims of a Jan. 23 assault by Arabs in the Iraqi city of Tuz
Khurmatu." The plane's landing isn't the only thing Nouri's blocking. Kitabat reports
today that Nouri's forces are preventing the residents of Salahuddin
Province and Nineveh Province from entering Baghdad and that traffic is
stopped as i.d.s are checked and security forces turn people away. Alsumaria also notes
that people are being prevented from entering Baghdad and adds that
there are rumors that Nouri plans to impose a curfew starting Thursday. What's got Nouri in a panic?

From Saturday:Kitabat reports that yesterday some protesters in Anbar Province announced their intent to march to Baghdad next Friday. All Iraq News notes
National Alliance MP Qasim al-Araji is calling out the plan to stage a
sit-in in Baghdad. The Ministry of Interior (run by Nouri al-Maliki
since he never nominated anyone to head it) had its own announcement. Alsumaria reports
that today it was declared their intent to crack down on any protest --
anywhere in the country -- that they felt was a threat or lacked a
permit. Al Mada notes
that the spokesperson for the Anbar protests, Sayad Lafi, states that
the protesters have written Baghdad seeking permission to pray in the
city on Friday and return the same day.

Al Mada reports
that the Anbar protesters state they have still not received a reply to
their request. The reply is most likely "no" judging by events taking
place currently. Al Jazeera, the Chrisian Science Monitor and PRI's Jane Arraf Tweets on the vehicles being prevented from entering Baghdad.

Martin Kobler is the Special Enovy in Iraq for United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Karin Laub (AP) interviews Kobler todayMartin Kobler, the U.N. envoy to Iraq, said that while he believes
the head of the committee, Deputy Prime Minister Hussain al-Shahristani,
is taking the Sunni concerns seriously, "there is more the government
could do" to deal with the protesters' demands."We have the impression that a lot of the problems (raised by the
demonstrators) are rule of law, human rights problems, the situation in
detention centres. And these are all problems the government can solve
tomorrow," Kobler told The Associated Press.

Violence continues in Iraq. Iraq Body Count
notes that through Sunday 139 people have died from violence in Iraq so
far this month. That's 139 violent deaths in 10 days. AFP's Prashant
Rao Tweets his organization's catch.

Today? Sufyan Mashhadani, Isabel Coles and Kevin Liffey (Reuters) report a Mosul suicide car bombing has claimed 12 lives (in addition to the driver of the car) and left at least eighteen injure. Alsumaria notes that an attack on a Thar Thar checkpoint (outside of Ramadi) resulted in the deaths of 2 Iraqi soldiers and two more injures. All Iraq News adds that a Baghdad sticky bombing has left the Dean of the Ministry of the Interior injured. UPI reports
that Sahwa commander in Diyala Province Khaled al-Lahibi has been
assassinated in Baquba. The assassination of al-Lahibi was the third
assassination attempt of a high profile figure in as many days. Alsumaria notes
that a Sunday Mosul bombing targeted Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi's
convoy (no one is reported harmed and al-Nujaifi wasn't in the convoy
despite his being expected to have been). Focus Information Agency noted
Saturday that the Polish Ambassador to Iraq, Lech Stefaniak, was targeted by a
roadside bombing in Baghdad but no one was hurt.

Dropping back to last
night, Dale McEwan (Press TV) reports, "The Kurdistan Region’s Nalia Radio and
Television - NRT - is reeling following a bomb attack on Saturday night.
The small device on NRT’s roof did not claim any casualties but was
enough to send a warning. The previous day a member of the public phoned
in to a live show and blasted Kurdistan’s ruling Barzani family. NRT,
based in Kurdistan’s Sulaymaniyah city, has called on Kurdistan’s
semi-autonomous government for protection."

Saturday there was an attack on Camp Liberty. Prensa Latina reports, " A rain of self-propelled Katyusha missiles hit a provisional camp of
Iraqi opposition Mujahedin-e Khalk, an organization Tehran calls
terrorists, causing seven fatalities plus 50 wounded, according to an
Iraqi official release." CNN explained, "The rocket and mortar attack occurred at Camp Hurriya, a onetime U.S.
base formerly known as Camp Liberty, which is now the home of the
Iranian exile group Mujahedin-e-Khalq. Accounts of the number of people killed and wounded in the attack vary."

Approximately 3,400 people were at Camp Ashraf when the US invaded Iraq
in 2003. They were Iranian dissidents who were given asylum by Saddam
Hussein decades ago. The US government authorized the US military to
negotiate with the residents. The US military was able to get the
residents to agree to disarm and they became protected persons under
Geneva and under international law.

Despite that legal status and
the the legal obligation on the part of the US government to protect
the residents, since Barack Obama was sworn in as US president,
Nouri has ordered not one but two attacks on Camp Ashraf resulting in
multiple deaths. Let's recap. July 28, 2009
Nouri launched an attack (while then-US Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates was on the ground in Iraq). In a report released this summer
entitled "Iraqi government must respect and protect rights of Camp Ashraf residents,"
Amnesty International described this assault, "Barely a month later, on
28-29 July 2009, Iraqi security forces stormed into the camp; at least
nine residents were killed and many more were injured. Thirty-six
residents who were detained were allegedly tortured and beaten. They
were eventually released on 7 October 2009; by then they were in poor
health after going on hunger strike." April 8, 2011,
Nouri again ordered an assault on Camp Ashraf (then-US Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates was again on the ground in Iraq when the assault
took place). Amnesty International described the assault this way,
"Earlier this year, on 8 April, Iraqi troops took up positions within
the camp using excessive, including lethal, force against residents who
tried to resist them. Troops used live ammunition and by the end of the
operation some 36 residents, including eight women, were dead and more
than 300 others had been wounded. Following international and other
protests, the Iraqi government announced that it had appointed a
committee to investigate the attack and the killings; however, as on
other occasions when the government has announced investigations into
allegations of serious human rights violations by its forces, the
authorities have yet to disclose the outcome, prompting questions
whether any investigation was, in fact, carried out." Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observes
that "since 2004, the United States has considered the residents of
Camp Ashraf 'noncombatants' and 'protected persons' under the Geneva
Conventions."

Under court order, the US State Dept evaluated their decision to place the MEK on the terrorist list and, September 28th, took the MEK off the terrorist list. A statement Saturday from the office of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon noted,
"The Secretary-General calls on the Government of Iraq, which is
responsible for the safety and security of residents of both Camp
Liberty and Camp Ashraf, to promptly and fully investigate the incident
and bring perpetrators to justice." A statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees quoted
High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres stating, "I strongly
condemn this attack. This is a despicable act of violence. I call on
the Iraqi Government to do everything it can to guarantee security to
the residents. The perpetrators must be found and brought to justice
without delay." KUNA notes
today that France's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the
attack and that "We bring our support to the United Nations plan to
transfer people in the camp to third countries. This plan is in the
process of being implemented and we are ready to participate in it,
through coordination with the UN High Commission for Refugees." Saturday night, the US State Dept issued the following:

Press Statement

Victoria NulandDepartment Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

February 9, 2013

The United States condemns in the strongest
terms the vicious and senseless terrorist attack that took place this
morning at Camp Hurriya killing 6 people and injuring dozens more. We
offer our condolences to the families of the victims and hope for the
swift recovery of those who were injured.
We understand the Government of Iraq has undertaken to promptly
investigate the attack. We call on it to earnestly and fully carry out
that investigation and to take all appropriate measures to enhance the
security of the camp consistent with its commitment and obligation to
the safety and security of the camp's residents. The terrorists
responsible for this attack must be brought to justice.
We are consulting with the Government of Iraq and the United Nations
Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on the circumstances surrounding
this tragedy, and we remain committed to assisting the Government of
Iraq and UNAMI in their efforts to implement the December 25, 2011
agreement.

Of course, Nuland had nothing to say today at the US State Dept press briefing.

Someone
who's not silent? Former US House Rep Patrick Kennedy (disclosure, I
know Patrick). He was in DC over the weekend for a conference of
Iranian-Americans. Click here for the video of his speech. Excerpt.

Patrick
Kennedy: We need the United States to come out today and say they are
for protecting -- as they promised -- the people of Camp Liberty and
that we're not going to let them have any more people die at the hands
of the Iranian secret police and their collaborators in the Iraqi
government. Let's not make any mistake about it, this cannot be laid
off on the United Nations. We're in Washington, DC. The United States
has a responsibility to those six people who were killed. We have our
word that we're going to protect them. And here we have two documents.
We know about these documents, all of us now. Now that Mr. [Tahar]
Boumedra [former adviser to UNAMI's Martin Kobler] left the United
Nations and exposed -- exposed the fact that in the draft survey of
whether Liberty was suitable for humanitarian purposes, this draft said
categorically was not suitable, was not safe. And in this document
signed on by people like Martin Kobler, the UN Representative in charge
of the protection of Camp Liberty, he verifies, the UN verifies, that
Liberty is safe. We know -- we know now that the blood of those
innocent martyrs that were killed last night are on Martin Kobler's
hands today. Today -- Today -- Today Martin Kobler ought to resign his
position at the United Nations in disgrace and the United States ought
to take every step necessary today to ensure the protection of the
people they promised to protect -- whether that means returning them to a
safe location in Camp Ashraf which has an 80 mile protective barrier
because no longer can it be said that Liberty is safe after what
happened last night.

Yesterday, Chana Ya'ar (Israel National News) reported, "Iraq allegedly has agreed to allow 50,000
Iranian Basij militia troops into the country to help suppress riots
against the government and seize Arab and other foreign embassies, including that of the United States."

A statement Saturday from the office of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon noted,
"The Secretary-General calls on the Government of Iraq, which is
responsible for the safety and security of residents of both Camp
Liberty and Camp Ashraf, to promptly and fully investigate the incident
and bring perpetrators to justice." A statement from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees quoted
High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres stating, "I strongly
condemn this attack. This is a despicable act of violence. I call on
the Iraqi Government to do everything it can to guarantee security to
the residents. The perpetrators must be found and brought to justice
without delay." KUNA notes
today that France's Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the
attack and that "We bring our support to the United Nations plan to
transfer people in the camp to third countries. This plan is in the
process of being implemented and we are ready to participate in it,
through coordination with the UN High Commission for Refugees."
Saturday, Jane Arraf (Al Jazeera) spoke with the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Iraq,
Martin Kobler, who stated, "We want to avoid bloodshed and that's why we
entered into the agreement with the government of Iraq -- because there
was immediate violence in December 2011. That's why I'm so shocked
what happened today because these people have to be protected."Today Ala Talabani

Turning to London where there was an incident last week. We covered it Sunday at Third with "Bremer and smelly shoes:"Wednesday, L. Paul Bremer [. . .] showed up
in England hoping to take a victory lap. Rather astounding because no
US official -- not even Bully Boy Bush -- was harshly criticized more in
the hearing for the Iraq Inquiry.
But there was Bremer, the original US bwana in Iraq, when Yasser al-Samarani stood and hurled not one but two shoes at him."You have to improve your aim if you want to make such a move," Bremer
smugly declared as the first shoe missed him and he himself missed in
his attempt to catch the second shoe.
Yasser al-Samarani tells Bremer, "You f**ked up my country, you destroyed the country! F**k you and f**k your democracy!"
And Bremer's reply?
He insisted, "If he had done that while Saddam Hussein was alive, he would be a dead man by now."
That's a pleasing tale, just not an honest one. Were Saddam Hussein
alive or were al-Samarani to have thrown the shoes at Bremer in 2002
when Hussein was alive, we seriously doubt Hussein would have any
problem with Yasser al-Samarani's actions.December 14, 2008,
Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi threw two shoes at Bully Boy Bush
when he and Nouri al-Maliki had a staged photo op in Baghdad as they
signed the Strategic Framework Agreement and the Status of Forces
Agreement.

Today at Salon, Murtaza Hussain offers what passes for truth and bravery at Salon:In a legitimately meritocratic society governed by the rule of law, it
would be reasonable to expect that after presiding over an unmitigated
strategic and humanitarian calamity such as the Iraq War
neoconservatives such as Bremer would face legal charges or at least devastating career repercussions that would exclude them from taking part in public discourse — but regrettably this has not happened to a great degree. While it is true that former Bush administration figures such as Donald Rumsfeld, John Yoo and Dick Cheney have been subject to criminal charges
in countries around the world from Germany to Malaysia, many of those
most prominently associated with the neoconservative movement in America
are still making an impact pushing the same policies of aggressive
military action and disregard for the rule of law that they were a
decade ago. Figures such as John Bolton, Elliot Cohen and Bremer’s
former spokesman, Dan Senor, can still be found in the public sphere
peddling the same criminally disastrous political ideology that killed
and made refugees out of millions in Iraq while costing the United
States trillions of dollars, thousands of soldiers’ lives, and much of
its moral and political legitimacy in the Middle East. The stated refusal
of the Obama administration to “look back” at past transgressions has
in many ways made possible the repetition of such crimes at a
particularly crucial moment as the U.S. crafts a policy to confront an
alleged nuclear program in Iran. In what would seem to be a case of
history repeating as farce, the same neoconservative hawks who cynically
pushed claims about weapons of mass destruction are publicly singing the exact same tune today about Iran and trying to resurrect the same aggressively militaristic ideology.

Only at Salon
-- and other craven sites -- would they pretend that Bully Boy Bush's
cadre of criminals are out of the government. Dick Cheney's Principal
Deputy National Security Advisor has a very high profile position in the
Barack Obama administration, for example, she's the State Dept
spokesperson. Yes, Victoria Nuland and her neo-con husband Robert Kagan
is an adviser to Barack and, as we were most recently again noting in the January 3rd snapshot,
Barack's State of the Union address last year built around Kagan's The
World America Made -- so much so that even Kagan's publisher, Random House, noted it. When Salon
finds the guts to note those kind of things, it may have the maturity
to sit at the grown ups table. Until then, it's all paper plates and
plastic forks for them.

About Me

We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting.
This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists.